Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 7 vs Watch 8 – any significant differences?

It should come as no surprise that Samsung releases a new generation of smartwatches every summer, generally in tandem with its most recent foldable phones. This year is no exception. Three smartwatches—the Galaxy Watch 8, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2—will be available to go along with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7.

All of them appear to be slightly different from their predecessors, but as is customary, we anticipate that the Galaxy Watch 8 will be the most affordable new Samsung wearable, and it may even become a bestseller.

The Galaxy Watch 8 doesn’t appear to be anything that different from the Galaxy Watch 7 from the previous year, except from the somewhat updated design language. But is it just a new look, or is Samsung working on another exciting new feature?

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Design

Similar to the Galaxy Watch Ultra from the last year, Samsung appears to be using a new squircle-like design language to all of its wearables this year. This entails a typical circular screen and an aluminum shell that is primarily squircle. This device only has the typical two buttons on the right side, not a rotating bezel.

Unrestricted by the round shape of the prior watch covers, this modification would allow Samsung to fit a slightly larger battery inside. This is exactly what appears to be happening here, as a slightly larger battery is reportedly making the rounds. There doesn’t appear to be any other specific justification for the redesign itself aside from that, since none was required in the first place.

The Galaxy Watch 7, which is a typical circular smartwatch like the majority of Samsung’s devices from previous years, stands in quite sharp contrast to that. The South Korean corporation was well aware that it was the most identifiable watch shape, which also worked well for the smartwatch spinoff.

Like its predecessors, the Galaxy Watch 8 will undoubtedly be available in two sizes: 40 and 44 mm.

We don’t anticipate any changes to the formula in terms of size, which could indicate that the Galaxy Watch 8 will be as thin and small as the Galaxy Watch 7. To refresh your memory, the latter was 9.7 mm thin and, depending on the model, either 40.4 or 44.4 mm in diameter. We don’t think the Galaxy Watch 8 will weigh significantly more than the Galaxy Watch 7, which weighed between 29 and 34 grams.

Like the Watch 7, the Galaxy Watch 8 will undoubtedly include MIL-STD-810H shock resistance and IP68 water and dust protection.

Samsung debuted a new quick-release band connection system for its smartwatches with the Galaxy Watch 6. It rapidly separates the strap mechanism from the watch casing by pressing a button. Since the band attachment technique isn’t expected to change, the system is expected to function flawlessly on the Galaxy Watch 8 as it did on the Galaxy Watch 6 and 7 generations.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

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Having said that, Samsung submitted a patent application in December 2024 for a novel attachment system that combines multiple technologies to provide even quicker band interchangeability at a glance. But since it’s a patent, it’s impossible to predict whether or not it will come to pass.

However, we anticipate that the Galaxy Watch 8 series will be accompanied by the announcement of a few new watch band styles.

Software & Features

Samsung’s One UI Watch 8 will run on top of Wear OS, which will serve as the foundation for the Galaxy Watch 8. From a usability and functionality standpoint, the combination of Google and Samsung’s software has historically produced a surprisingly good smartwatch experience, and there’s no reason to think the Galaxy Watch 8 UX would be any different.

However, Google’s Wear OS is set to undergo a significant revamp with the next Material 3 Expressive design language, which will also undoubtedly alter the look of Android 16.

Additionally, it is rumored that Samsung is expanding the capabilities of its Galaxy AI to include personalized recommendations driven by AI and other features on the company’s smartwatches.

One potential new function is non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, which measures the minute variations in blood glucose using the BioActive sensor built into the device. Although we have some doubts that this feature will be included in the Galaxy Watch 8 series this year, there is always a chance.

Battery

The 40 mm model of last year’s Galaxy Watch 7 had a 300 mAh battery, but the larger 44 mm model has a 425 mAh battery.

According to rumors, the Galaxy Watch 8 will likely have a somewhat bigger battery. What we’re getting here is a slight bump to 435 mAh on the 44 mm size and perhaps 310 mAh on the smaller choice.

The Galaxy Watch 8 is anticipated to use the same 3nm Exynos W1000 chip, therefore a significant improvement in battery life seems unlikely. Therefore, the maximum battery life we are receiving may be around a day or a day and a half.

It’s possible that the Galaxy Watch 8 will support the same 10W wireless charging.

Specs

The specs for the Galaxy Watch 8 vs. Galaxy Watch 7 are anticipated to be as follows:

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

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Final thought

Compared to the Galaxy Watch 7, the Galaxy Watch 8 appears to be just a design update, a slow and sensible development.

The glucose monitoring feature, which may prove to be extremely helpful for many diabetics, is perhaps the most exciting new feature. The icing on the cake is that it will be non-invasive.

Is it time to replace your Galaxy Watch 7? Considering that the two smartwatches’ basic specifications and functionalities are essentially the identical, users of the Galaxy Watch 7 shouldn’t feel pressured to upgrade, despite the rumors that are currently circulating.